Mzuni students fun-out with condoms, misuse them

Mzuzu University (Mzuni) students were over the weekend in a condom excitement – littering and blowing the rubbers at will – during a campaign dubbed ‘Let’s Condomize’ being orchestrated by UNFPA in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture.

“It was a wastage of resources,” a second year arts student told Nyasa Times on Tuesday.

He added: “The resources could have gone to other people who can make proper use of them. Here people took the whole function as fun.”

Nyasa Times has learnt that condoms are also distributed freely to the students’ community but even then, it is only few people who use them responsibly.

“We don’t use them responsibly,” admitted the student.

Some of the condoms that were distributed for free.

After the Friday and Saturday function that was spiced by live performances from Dare Devils, Black Jack, Piksy and Maskal among others, some students were seen blowing condoms some of which they are since using as decorations in their rooms.

But UNFPA HIV and AIDS senior technical adviser Bidia Deperthes described the function as a success.

“Our objectives have been achieved. We wanted them [students] to understand the importance of using condoms,” said Deperthes.

According to Deperthes, the campaign will also go to the rest of the institutions of higher learning in the country.

The campaign involves lessons on types of condoms that exist and how to use them as well as rebranding of plain-government distributed condoms with stickers carrying a message which reads ‘Condomize Malawi!’

There is little surprise as to why public universities are being targeted, in 2010 alone it was reported that 39 first year girls were found pregnant at Chancellor College, one of the constituents colleges of the University of Malawi.

Also, a Demographic Health Survey (DHS) conducted in 2010, revealed that condom use among the youth in the country is very low, a factor that was said to increase HIV prevalence rate and fertility rates.